Chapter 17 – Blade and Seal
(The scene opens in the training field atop the mountain. The ground is scarred from Ashura's earlier attempts. Morning sun gleams off a single katana resting in the dirt. Iroh stands beside it, arms folded.)
Iroh: (stern) Ashura. A blade is an extension of the self. If your heart is unsteady, the blade wavers. If your energy is wild, the blade shatters. Today, you learn to make them one.
Ashura: (picking up the katana, testing its weight) …Tch. Easier said than done.
Temari: (watching, arms crossed) That's what you said about controlling the seal too… look how that turned out.
Ashura: (smirks, swinging the blade lightly) Heh. Fair point.
(He takes a stance. The Shingan Ketto flickers to life on his arm, faint blue marks crawling toward his shoulder. His eye glows faintly as he channels energy into the katana. The blade hums, vibrating as if alive.)
Iroh: (nodding) Good… but steady your breath. The seal magnifies everything—even the smallest mistake.
(Ashura dashes forward, blade swinging. A burst of speed carries him across the training ground, slicing through three wooden targets instantly. But the energy is unstable—his blade cracks from the strain. Ashura falls to one knee, panting, frustrated.)
Ashura: Damn it!! Every time I push more energy, the sword can't keep up.
Iroh: (kneels beside him) That's because you treat them as two. Blade… and seal. You must learn this truth: "When a blade and soul breathe the same rhythm… they are no longer two, but one."
(Ashura freezes at the words. He grips the cracked sword tighter. He shuts his eyes, slowing his breathing, focusing on the steady thrum of his heartbeat. The seal's glow steadies, matching the rhythm. He rises to his feet.)
Shoto: (cheering) You got this, big brother!
(Ashura charges again—this time the energy flows evenly, coating the blade instead of overwhelming it. The katana shines with a brilliant blue aura. He slashes forward—BOOM! A massive wave of compressed energy erupts, cleaving a boulder in half. The ground trembles. Ashura stands tall, his blade humming but unbroken.)
Temari: (eyes wide, impressed) …That was… beautiful.
Ashura: (panting, grinning) Heh… not bad, right?
Iroh: (smiles faintly) Hmph. You've only just begun. The blade accepted you for today… but it will test you again tomorrow.
(As Ashura sheathes the glowing blade, the scene shifts. Far away, deep in a dark chamber, Danzi sits at a table. His white hair glimmers under dim light as he adjusts his tie. A faint scar across his eye catches the glow.)
Danzi: (calm, cold smile) So… the seal awakens at last. Then our real game begins.
(The camera pans out, revealing cloaked figures behind him—the enemy organization—watching in silence. The chapter ends on Danzi's chilling smirk.)
Narration Box: "With blade and seal as one, Ashura takes another step forward. But in the shadows
, the enemy stirs."
(Scene fades to black.)